1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a winged safety needle assembly and, more particularly, to a telescopic winged safety needle assembly having a winged cylindrical sheath for preventing sticking accidents from taking place when retracting the needle into the winged cylindrical sheath. Protection of the edge of the needle is achieved by unlocking and sliding the needle along the inner wall of the winged cylindrical sheath and a sleeve.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Needlestick injuries are intended to be avoided by proper disposal of needles. Used needles may be recapped with the same cover that originally covered the needles before use or by similar covers or tubes before the needle is discarded. This method requires movement of the hands toward the exposed needle and may promote needlestick injuries during the recapping. In addition, needles may also be disposed of by tossing them into nearby refuse containers. However, this creates danger to those who handle the refuse containers.
Winged intravenous (IV) sets are well known in the art. A typical prior art IV butterfly needle used for the insertion into blood vessels and similar passageways in the body to permit the infusion or withdrawal of sterile fluids or blood is illustrated in FIG. 8. The butterfly needle generally has a hollow needle or cannula 30, a cylindrical hub 20 holding the needle 30 at one end and connected to an IV tube 52 at the opposite end, and a cylindrical housing 10 surrounding the needle with a wing-like extension 50 extending on each side thereof.
The wings 50 are used to handle the assembly during insertion and withdrawal. For example, the wings of the needle assembly may be folded upwards around the hub to provide a gripping extension for the technician or nurse to use when attempting to insert the needle into the desired vein, artery or other passageway. The wings are also used to stabilize the device while in place by providing a broad surface area of contact with the patient which allows for taping of the device to the patient while discouraging movement, especially rotation, of the device. This assists the technician or nurse in affixing the needle to the patient during the infusion of fluids or medicants.
A problem typical of butterfly needles as just described is that when the needle is withdrawn from the vein or artery, the sharpened end, now contaminated with blood or other body fluid, remains exposed. The exposed needle can be a source of great danger to the operator or to anyone who might be pricked or scratched. Needle injuries may result in the transmission of diseases such as hepatitis, HIV, or cause other types of infection. A common solution available to the operator was to simply drop the needle and its holder into a trash receptacle. However, a danger to clean up and medical waste disposal personnel continues if the used needles are not rendered harmless in some way. Another solution is to attempt to recap the needle with a safety cover immediately after use. This, however, may in itself cause injury if the operator should accidentally stick themselves during the recapping process. In addition, caps or covers may come loose and expose the used needle.
Therefore, in order to prevent such sticking accidents various proposals have been made. One such proposal is a winged needle assembly disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,711 (hereinafter referred to as the '711 patent). The '711 patent describes an indwelling injector needle assembly having wings including a cannula or needle body, a hub supporting a proximal end of the needle body, a tube in fluid communication with the needle body, a cylindrical holder having a distal end from which the wings protrude, and a latching mechanism. The hub can slide along an inner periphery of the holder between a first position near the distal end of the holder and a second position near a proximal end of the holder. The latching mechanism is formed in and disposed between the hub and the holder so that the hub is inhibited from moving from the first position toward the second position, and vice versa. The needle edge can be retracted within the holder while its wings remain fixed to a patient's skin.
However, the winged needle assembly disclosed in '711 patent has several disadvantages. Use of a safety needle assembly with a longer overall length (e.g., 55 mm) results in unnecessary damage to a vessel in which the needle has been inserted. This is due to the fact that any accidental movement of an exposed hub, holder, or sheath is likely to result in unnecessary damage to a vessel from the needle. In addition, the use of a longer overall length safety needle assembly requires a larger radius loop of a profusion tube connected to the safety needle assembly which is ultimately secured (taped) to the patient, i.e., a longer assembly requires a larger loop of tubing to prevent kinking of the tube. A smaller loop of tubing helps prevent accidental movement of the assembly. The '711 Patent also discloses a non-rotating needle. Therefore the needle cannot be rotated when needed after cannulation in order to maximize blood or fluid flow to or from the vessel.
Therefore, what is needed is a telescopic winged safety needle device that provides a maximum overall length for ease of handling during insertion of the needle into a vessel, and a minimum overall length while being secured to a patient to prevent damage to the vessel. In addition, a minimized overall length of a device while being secured to a patient allows a loop of tubing to be kept to a minimum radius and secured to the patient without introducing a kink in the tube. Also, a winged safety needle device is needed that allows for rotation of the needle after cannulation in order to maximize blood or fluid flow to or from the vessel.